Dear Friends in Christ,
Wow. These days are full! May the grace of our Lord Jesus guide and sustain each one of you. Let us not forget that unless the Lord build the house, in vain do the builders labor. Therefore, we offer all of our energies and toil to the One in Whom we find our strength, that our efforts on behalf of those we serve may bear fruit in eternal life.
You are one of a large number of workers in the vineyard in western Oregon receiving these updates. We are trying provide the most helpful and important information possible. The headings below are provided to help you determine which information is relevant to your work and ministry. God bless you!
Letter from Archbishop Sample
The Archbishop issued a Letter to the Faithful today. Please share it as widely as possible.
Find it here in
English
,
Spanish
, and Vietnamese
(translation to come)
As a reminder, the Archbishop continues to offer LIVE opportunities for prayer with him. See the links below. Next week, the Archbishop will also offer a livestreamed Mass in Spanish. Stay tuned for more information.
Don’t Forget - Papal Prayer Service Tomorrow (Friday) at 10:00 AM
On Friday, March 27, at 10:00 AM (PT), Pope Francis will lead a broadcast prayer service and offer a special blessing to the city (of Rome) and the world (“Urbi et Orbi”). This special blessing is typically only given at Christmas and Easter. The Holy Father will grant to all participants the Plenary Indulgence before imparting the Urbi et Orbi Blessing. You can watch online here:
https://youtu.be/VJHI8bI0LWg
or on the website of Vatican News
WWW.VATICANNEWS.VA
.
Private Prayer in Churches?
The Archdiocese is encouraging parishes to have their church doors open during certain, publicized hours to allow people the opportunity for private prayer. However, the hours and availability (or even the temporary closing for all days and hours) are left to the discretion of the pastor and based on what he has determined is in the best interest of the local community. For those churches that can remain open, steps must be taken to ensure that at no time is there more than the legal limit of 25 persons gathered in a church or chapel, and steps must be taken to ensure social distancing regulations are observed. Ideally, never more than 10 people are gathered at any one time in the church. For the faithful, anyone who is sick, has even the mildest symptoms of being sick, or who has been exposed to someone who has been sick, should remain home and refrain from putting others at risk. Thank you for your understanding.
Attention Area Vicars and Pastors
Carmen Gaston, Director of the Office of Stewardship Development, will be contacting Area Vicars and then pastors to assist with donations and revenue stabilization initiatives.
Hospital Visits
An updated memo (March 26, 2020) regarding hospital visits by clergy is here. It contains information about Providence, PeaceHealth, and Mercy facilities.
READ MEMO
Portland Cemeteries
For the latest policies on burials, committal services or other related questions, please contact the cemeteries directly. As a reminder to clergy and others, please do not instruct the faithful about what may or may not be done on cemetery grounds during these times when emergency policies are in place and are often changing. Thank you for your understanding.
Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Portland: (503) 292-6621
Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley (503) 659-1350
Financial Services
For any questions about the two updates below regarding ADP payroll and US Bank Investment, please contact Financial Services personnel at the numbers listed.
Parish Funds Trust Information
Withdrawal requests from a parish’s Parish Funds Trust account should be sent to the Pastoral Center via fax (503-232-2123) or regular mail (2838 E Burnside St. Portland, OR 97214). Financial Services will process the mail and requests weekly each Wednesday. Checks will also be processed on Wednesdays. Please allow 7 – 10 business days for processing and mailing of checks.
Property and Risk Management Notices
Have a Tennant User Liability Insurance Policy (TULIP) rental event that had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic? These event cancellation guidelines will help.
READ DOCUMENT
Empty or temporarily closed buildings during the “Stay Home, Save Lives” order? Check out these tips:
READ DOCUMENT
In Case You Missed It
For links to previously released mailings, see below.
Thank You!
It can’t be said enough. Thank you! Thank you for all your hard work and tireless dedication as we each do our part to pray and help to manage this crisis.
May the peace of Christ, which is beyond all understanding, be upon you and your loved ones today and always.
Sincerely in Him,
Todd Cooper
Director of Special Ministries of the Archbishop
COVID-19 Pastoral Center Response, Core Team Chair
